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Martin Luther King (MLK) is the most prominent figure identified in the American civil rights of the mid-20th century. He was greatly shaped by his Christian faith and role as a Baptist minister, and sought human rights and equality for African Americans, injustice victims of all ethnicities, and the economically disadvantaged.
Malcolm X on the other hand was a foster child who had seen death, slavery and incarceration first hand. As a supporter of Black nationalism, a leader in civil rights, and a minister for the Black Muslim movement, his stances often put him at odds with the non-violent teachings of MLK. He urged Black Americans to protect themselves from white aggression "by any means necessary", and promoted Black self-defense, Black economic autonomy, and Black power.
Their seemingly opposing ideologies are likely due to their vastly different life experiences and upbringing. MLK was brought up in an elite upper-middle-class household and received a solid education in the most prestigious historically Black all-men’s college, Morehouse College. Malcolm X grew up without a dad as his father was murdered by white supremacists. His father was murdered when Malcolm was only 6 years old. His mother was later sent to a psychiatric facility, forcing Malcolm X to enter the foster system. As a teenager, he hustled in Harlem and Boston and was later put behind bars for theft, where he spent 7 years.
Malcolm X and Martin Luther King are great iconic figures of the civil right movement. They were both leaders of their movements, where MLK served as the first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Malcolm X as the national spokesperson and minister of the Nation of Islam (NOI). Both icons fought for women’s education and married educated women. Their choice is another indication of the similarities in their ideologies that support the education of women.
Malcolm X's letter to MLK was a sign that the two parties were fighting for the same purpose. In the letter, Malcolm invited MLK to a rally where he assured him that the meeting would be orderly and designed to show the spirit of unity.
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